Odd But True Facts of September 2

Who else enjoys learning odd but true facts about what happened in history? Read on here to learn more facts from September 2. 

• 44 BC – Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion.
• 44 BC – Cicero launches the first of his Philippicae (oratorical attacks) on Mark Antony. He will make 14 of them over the following months.
• 31 BC – Final War of the Roman Republic: Battle of Actium: Off the western coast of Greece, forces of Octavian (also known as Ceasar Augustus) defeat the troops of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. 
• 1192 – The Treaty of Jaffa is signed between Richard I of England and Saladin, leading to the end of the Third Crusade.
• 1666 – The Great Fire of London breaks out and burns for three days, destroying 10,000 buildings, including Old St Paul's Cathedral.
• 1752 – Great Britain, along with its overseas possessions, adopts the Gregorian calendar.
• 1789 – The United States Department of the Treasury is founded.
• 1901 – Vice President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt utters the famous phrase, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" at the Minnesota State Fair.
• 1912 – Arthur Rose Eldred is awarded the first Eagle Scout award of the Boy Scouts of America.
• 1945 – World War II: The Japanese Instrument of Surrender is signed by Japan and the major warring powers aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
• 1945 – Vietnam declares its independence, forming the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
• 1946 – The Interim Government of India is formed, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru as vice president with the powers of a Prime Minister.
• 1960 – The first election of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. The Tibetan community observes this date as Democracy Day.
• 1963 – CBS Evening News becomes U.S. network television's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, when the show is lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes.
• 2010 – Israel-Palestinian conflict: the 2010 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are launched by the United States.
• 2013 – The Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens at 10:15 PM at a cost of $6.4 billion, after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the old span. It is the world's widest bridge according to the Guiness Book of World Records. 

Image of Octavian courtesy of public domain. Image of Bay Bridge courtesy of CalTrans.

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